Hints for Enjoying Shenandoah Park

How to get there: Enter Shenandoah National Park from four places along Skyline Drive, which runs north-south from Front Royal, on Interstate 66 about 70 miles west of Washington, D.C., to Waynesboro, on I-64 about 25 miles west of Charlottesville, Va.

Where to stay: Travelers on a budget can try the Tabard Inn, 1739 N St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 785-1277). Rates begin at $53 per night with a shared bath. Rooms with private bath start at $92. Prices include breakfast.

The park offers camping facilities and rustic lodges. Rates for Loft Mountain and Lewis Mountain campgrounds are $8 per site per night (up to six persons with two tents and two vehicles are allowed on a single site). Big Meadows campground costs $10 a night.

Skyland Lodge and Big Meadows Lodge offer single rooms starting at $55 per night, double occupancy, and suites, including a living room with fireplace, from $85 a night.

What to do there: Skyline Drive is a little more than 105 miles long and can be driven in a leisurely afternoon. The road, often steep, climbs to 3,680 feet at Skyland, about halfway on the drive. Average driving speed on the single-lane road is 30 m.p.h. or less. Admission is $5.

More information: For Shenandoah National Park, call (703) 999-2229. To make camping reservations, call (900) 370-5566. MasterCard and Visa are accepted. For reservations at Skyland and Big Meadows Lodges, call toll-free (800) 999-4714.

For the Charlottesville area, contact the Charlottesville/Albemarle Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 161, Charlottesville, Va. 22902, (804) 293-6789.

For more information on travel to Virginia, contact the Virginia Division of Tourism, Bell Tower on Capitol Square, 101 N. 9th St., Richmond, Va. 23219, (804) 786-4484.